A proposal to toughen Michigan’s voting rules could be headed to the statewide ballot next year. Republican state lawmakers have drafted a proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution. It would require people to show proof of citizenship to register and present a government-issued photo ID to vote. It would also reverse voting rights reforms that were added to the Michigan Constitution by voters in 2022.
State Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) said the proposal will be one of the first orders of business when Republicans take control of the House next year.
“It’s real simple, real basic,” he said. “Proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID. That’s what we’re doing. That’s what we’re focusing on. It’s a no-brainer.”
But leaders of the voting rights campaign say voters knew what they were doing when they dropped barriers to voting and put that in the Michigan Constitution.
Jamie Lyons-Eddy, the executive director of Voters Not Politicians, said this proposal would be a step backwards.
“It’s grandstanding,” she said. “It’s completely unnecessary. I think it’s a solution in search of a problem and the only outcome would be to prevent thousands of eligible citizens from voting when the people of Michigan have already clearly spoken on this issue.”
The fact is Republicans, despite taking control of the House, probably won’t be able to muster the super-majorities required to get a proposed amendment on the ballot via legislative action. Democrats will also still control the Senate.
The issue gained momentum after the Michigan Secretary of State revealed a University of Michigan student who was a non-citizen from China had allegedly illegally cast a ballot in last month’s general election. The ballot was likely counted because it had already been fed into a tabulator and could not be tracked back to the voter. It was discovered when the student contacted the Washtenaw County clerk in an effort to get the ballot back. The 19-year-old student was charged with two felonies.
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